thinking about getting a rottweiler

[Louis123456]

Hi so here it is... I am a 20 years old university student and I live still with my parents in Quebec city(canada), we have house and a yard where we could leave the dog when we are away.I also have a cat thats 2 years old who spends most of his time outside...

What I want is a dog thats going to be very sociable with anybody( I am quite young so it's the kind of dog I would like to have around me in say a night I spend at my friends house) I dont want a dog thats going to be scaring people off and thats what some people have told me about rottweilers. Even if they have a bad reputation I think they look so nice and I am willing to break the reputation tag they have.

I am thinking if I go with this breed to take training classes with him to make him respond to orders at all time. I also do alot of sports like bike and running and I want a partner as a dog to run or ride with me. I want a dog thats full of energy and thats going to take alot of time to kill off. So if you guys have any hints on how to pick the dog, the sex or any other infos , that would be very nice to say.

[carolynnl4]

You may find this post interesting: http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/general-info/48719-thinking-getting-rottie-advice-please.html

I have had Athena since I started grad school, and overall, she's been a great dog for a student. Not the best, but pretty great. I wouldn't get a puppy if I were you, I'd get a young adult or adult from rescue. Puppies take a LOT of time, and it was very exasperating to deal with some of her antics and hyperactivity. Because sweet jesus, do rottweiler puppies have a lot of energy. I think the only puppy that was worse as far as energy that I've ever met, was a boxer.
As a puppy, Athena would play ALL day at daycare, come home and play with the neighbor's dog until 8PM, and then would want to play catch instead of going to sleep.
It's tough to generalize, so I'm just going to tell you my experiences, which I don't think are atypical. After a year and a half of training (private classes and group classes), Athena loves people, she loves to get out and exercise with me. She's not so great with dogs -- she loves to play with other dogs, but tends to bully, so I don't let her play with just anyone. She went through a period of aggression where it seemed like she viewed other dogs as prey, but the jury is out on whether that was a misunderstanding on my part or not. Regardless, we worked on it, and she hasn't shown any more signs of it.
As a near adult (2 1/2 years), I can leave her at home in her crate overnight with no problems. She travels with me with no problems. We continue to train at home to learn fun new things and keep her skills up so that after I graduate, we can work on her CD.

Take time to kill off? Rottweilers live about 10 years, and if you're lucky, 13ish.

[Louis123456]

thank you... and yes I forgot I had when I was younger a midsize schnauzer that didnt not really have a nice comportment( biting etc) which was because he was anxious I think my dad use to beat on it when it did something bad.. and I really dont want to do such thing seeing it doesnt really look to be effective.. I want to be authoritary but never use my body to make it see it did something wrong

For what you said about not having a puppy, isnt that wrong if i want to create a special relationship between me and the dog

[carolynnl4]

That's another thing...the more time you spend with your dog, the more time it bonds with you. I know where you're coming from as far as your father, mine also uses "corporal punishment" on his dogs, and gave me Athena because he was so frustrated with her he was afraid he would kill her.

But how do your parents feel about you getting a dog? If you're still living with them, aren't you concerned that their method of correction will also be used on your dog?

That's why I think it's so important for dogs to live inside with their owners, where you can be in his presence and be able to guide him if he develops behaviors you dislike. With outside dogs, it's so easy for behaviors to just "suddenly" occur.

In addition, you said you had a dog in the past that would bite...rottweiler puppies (although I see this in most puppies) tend to be very mouthy. They love to put their teeth on you when they play. This can be fixed with many methods that do not involve hitting your dog or overtly punishing him.

Trust me, you don't need a puppy to develop a special relationship. There are MANY members on this board who can tell you about the special relationship they've developed with a dog they've rescued at an older age. I truly believe that older dogs realize they've been rescued and that they are in their "forever" home. There are so many dogs out there that have been dumped because no one wants to take the time to figure out why they're chewing on the furniture or dump their dog when they move. Dogs KNOW when someone truly cares for them and is in it for the long haul. You get what you put into it.

[Louis123456]

what you say about older dogs is nice... about my father using his methods of punishment, if i get the dog I will set the bar straight and tell him to work the way that I do, which I think he will agree to so its not a problem

[Judi W]

Well, (said with a smile but serious non-the-less) anyone who thinks they will be master of a Rottweiler by physical combat is going to find out why that is not a good idea.

[Louis123456]

yeah that what i am thinking, it can beat the crap out of us...

[carolynnl4]

Originally Posted by Louis123456

yeah that what i am thinking, it can beat the crap out of us...

But the key is to establish your authority so firmly (without violence!!!), that it never even occurs to the dog to engage you in a physical contest.
Athena has growled at me ONCE (when she came back from the hospital, she had resource guarding issues) and trust me, it never happened again.